On
Wednesday the 2011 Chevy Volt achieved an important milestone, with a
pre-production model rolling
off the assembly line in Hamtramck, Michigan.
Previously pre-production Volts have been built
by hand and tested.
Porting the process over onto the assembly line was a critical step
in preparing to commercially deploy the vehicle.

States GM's
Detroit-Hamtramck plant manager, Teri Quigley, "We have a very
experienced workforce at this plant and through all of their
preparation and training workers here have been given the privilege
to take GM into the future with this car."

The plant is
expected to continue to build pre-production models until late this
year, when it will jump to a production build in preparation for the
November 10 launch.

In other news, in order to meet its fuel
efficiency goals, according to Ward's
Auto the
government says it wants to buy
the first 100 Chevy Volts produced by GM. The
government has vowed to cut its fleet's fuel footprint by 30 percent
by 2020. The government also expressed interest in Chrysler's
upcoming plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) Dodge Ram. It,
however, has not yet expressed interest in the top-selling Ford
Fusion Hybrid.

GM has responded to the government's intent
to purchase the first 100 Volts. It released a statement
remarking:

We
are pleased to see that the Federal government is interested in the
greening of their vehicle fleet. Media speculation has led to reports
that the GSA and DOE will be buying the first 100 Chevrolet Volt's
because we will meet this criteria. At this time we have no further
details regarding these purchases.

The
Chevy Volt is the first electric vehicle to be mass produced in
America (Tesla Roadsters are manufactured overseas and in small
batches, while the mass produced 2011 Nissan Leaf will initially be
produced in Japan). It gets 40 miles on a charge, thanks to its
16 kWh battery. It can be charged from a 120-240VAC standard
residential outlet using the SAE's new standards compliant SAE-J1722
adapter. It can also extend its range to over 300 miles, by
employing a small built in 4-cylinder gas engine.

"If a man really wants to make a million dollars, the best way would be to start his own religion." -- Scientology founder L. Ron. Hubbard